Jack P Shepherd's one simple trick to help him survive the Coronation Street cull

He’s spent 25 years arsenic David Platt, one of Coronation Street’s astir iconic characters, but cobbles prima Jack P Shepherd admits that he’d ne'er person thing to bash with his change ego successful existent life.

“He’s excessively hard work, he’s an idiot and an a******e,” Jack laughs. “I wouldn’t spell anyplace adjacent him, for emotion nor money.

“He’s a monolithic power freak, helium stresses, helium panics and he’s truthful rash with his determination making. He’s ever truthful ‘woe is me’ arsenic well. I wouldn’t beryllium friends with him, God no, he’d bash my caput in!”

Luckily millions of viewers disagree, having loved David’s translation from the cheeky bunny-loving 9 year-old we met successful 2000, to 1 of the astir troubled characters successful the show’s past – his agelong database of misdemeanours see smashing up the street, a faked suicide, blackmail and famously pushing his mum Gail down the stairs.

And Jack's day twelvemonth has surely got disconnected to an explosive start. Next week, the viewers volition see the Platt location spell up successful flames with astatine slightest 1 quality expected to die. Early teasers of the shocking scenes person already been making headlines, with galore quick to question what David's portion successful the drama mightiness be....

It's conscionable 1 of dozens of juicy plots, Jack , 37, has been progressive with.

The dada of two, who lives successful Manchester with his fiancée Hanni Treweek, says: “I was 12 erstwhile I joined.

“I don’t retrieve each the storylines but I bash retrieve the laughter, the conversations and the people. That’s wherefore I’ve stayed truthful agelong – due to the fact that I person specified a bully time.”

Jack, who took implicit the relation from kid histrion Thomas Ormson, inactive ne'er takes the occupation for granted. It’s particularly poignant now, aft the soap has seen 5 large sanction departures and counting successful caller months. So far, he's lone 1 mode he's recovered to header with the changeless fearfulness of the hangman's noose.

“You can’t go excessively settled, due to the fact that that’s erstwhile they’ll fto you go!” helium laughs.

“You’ve ever got to beryllium prepared that you mightiness get called upstairs and told your quality has tally its course. “If that happens it’s fine.

“I’ve been fortunate capable to bash 25 years; there’s not galore successful the formed who person been determination that long. But you tin ne'er remainder connected your laurels and think: ‘I’m present to stay.’

“Helen Worth (Jack’s surface parent Gail) ne'er did. She ne'er knew if they would renew her contract. I utilized to accidental to her: ‘of people they will.’

“But she was ne'er confident. And I’m the same. When my declaration is up for renewal, I get a spot tense – everybody does.

“But that’s good. It shows you’re not excessively comfy and that you’re ever acceptable if the s**t hits the instrumentality and they say: ‘you’re done.’ That mode you’re already mentally prepared and you determination connected to the adjacent thing.”

Helen Worth exited the amusement astatine Christmas aft 50 years and Paddy Bever, who plays David’s surface lad Max, volition besides permission shortly. “He’s done 3 years, he’s 21, he’s nary kids oregon commitments and helium wants to spell and person a small spell elsewhere,” Jack explains.

Away from the cobbles Jack co-hosts the fashionable podcast On The Sofa with Colson, Jack and Ben, with co-stars Colson Smith (Craig Tinker) and Ben Price (Nick Tilsley).

“It’s being going for 7 years, which is simply a agelong clip for a podcast,” Jack says proudly.

The trio are close, but it was precocious announced that Colson was being written retired of the show. “I was upset erstwhile I heard. You would beryllium erstwhile it’s anybody you’re adjacent to,” Jack says.

“I ne'er thought he’d get the call, but he’s done 14 years erstwhile helium lone came successful for 2 episodes. I’m definite he’ll determination connected to immoderate bully stuff, possibly presenting oregon vigor – he’s got tons of fingers successful tons of pies.”

For Jack, 2025 volition beryllium dedicated to making the astir of his 25th year successful the show. The existent day falls connected March 15 but he’s got capable memories to marque it a year-long celebration. Here, helium talks america done the precise champion of his Cobbles’ highlights…

2000 – King Charles's schoolboy error

“I’d conscionable joined erstwhile Prince Charles visited to people Coronation Street’s 40th anniversary. I was 12 and playing a 9 year-old. They said I had to beryllium successful character, truthful I was wearing schoolhouse uniform. He said to me: ‘What are you doing here?’ And helium asked who my parents were - I deliberation helium thought I was the lad of idiosyncratic who worked there!”

2001 – Jack's frosty narration with David's bunny Barney

“I hated that rabbit, I truly did. It utilized to wound maine during scenes erstwhile I was holding it. I was ne'er a kid who liked those sorts of animals, I preferred dogs and cats, but David loved it, truthful it required a batch of acting to unreal I liked it!”

2003 – Fancy a dip, Jack?

“We filmed this successful the Manchester canal successful February and it was truthful acold that they had to interruption the crystal earlier they submerged maine and Tina (O’Brien). Coronation Street’s wellness and information wouldn’t let you to interruption the crystal and enactment 2 kids successful a canal these days!

"Richard Hillman was trying to termination David and the remainder of the Platts. We had to person inoculations truthful we didn’t drawback thing from the rats’ pee successful the canal!”

2007 – Kiss Me Kate!

“My caput fell disconnected erstwhile I heard David and Tracy were going to snog. Kate Ford was 30 and I was 19, but David was lone 16.

"I didn’t privation to accidental thing to Kate successful lawsuit she went: ‘Eew! Gross! I’m going to archer the producers I’m not doing that!’ When the time came, I was rather nervous, but Kate was much nervous. She walked successful and she said: ‘Oh my God you’re successful schoolhouse uniform! This is weird!”

2008 – Pushing his luck

“When they said: ‘Action’ the stunt treble who played Gail whispered: ‘Push me.’ I thought she would conscionable autumn herself. She was lasting with her backmost to the stairs and said she needed maine to physically propulsion her. It was truly weird.

"I retrieve for a fewer weeks after, if I was astatine the apical of an escalator astatine a buying centre, radical would springiness maine unusual looks and determination away!”

2010 – Getting shadiness from Camilla

“Camilla visited the acceptable for our 50th day celebrations. She said she watched the show, truthful she knew who our characters were – I was impressed by that. She said to me: 'I cognize you - you’re the naughty one!’”

2016 – The Death of Kylie Platt

“This was the astir cleanable occurrence I’ve ever had. David’s woman Kylie was dying successful his arms connected the cobbles aft being stabbed and helium fto retired an carnal cry. I really stole it from Al Pacino successful The Godfather Part III.

When his girl gets changeable connected the theatre steps helium holds her successful his arms and screams out.”

2019 – Sue’s His Girl

“Sue Nicholls, who plays my gran Audrey, is simply a marvellous actress, but she ever thinks what she’s doing is rubbish. I ever archer her she’s doing a superb job, which she is. I deliberation she rather likes moving with maine and I emotion moving with her; we person specified a laugh. The 2 characters person a peculiar narration too; they’re precise close.”

2025, airing adjacent week - Burning Down The House: The Platts’ are connected fire

“I consciousness privileged to beryllium progressive successful immense storylines similar this. To movie this, they enactment occurrence bars wrong the location connected the cobbles – they’re pipes that let controllable flames.

“For the interior scenes, they built a replica acceptable of the Platt house, which they enactment wrong the Underworld mill connected the thoroughfare and past burnt down.”

AND FINALLY....David’s Infamous Death Stare

“This came astir by accident. I’d stayed up truly precocious the nighttime earlier and I had these acheronian bags nether my eyes and it made maine look demonic.

“I rather liked that, truthful whenever I had a country wherever David was being evil, I’d enactment up late. They past started penning it successful the scripts, but it has to travel naturally. You can’t unit these things. I improvise each the clip and adhd successful lines oregon alteration things connected the spur of the moment. It keeps it caller and makes you laughter and adds thing caller and different.”

On The Sofa with Colson, Jack and Ben is disposable connected each podcast providers